Rated: M (nudity, swearing)

Natsu realized he could not help the need to stare at his newest treasure. She was beautiful and golden, or maybe she was beautiful BECAUSE she was golden. Whatever, he wasn't about to sit around all night and argue with himself. Especially not when he could be doing more productive things like staring at her. Sniffing her. Waiting for her to wake up.

He had a lot of questions that he wanted to ask her: was she actually a goddess? Why was she so golden? Where did she come from? Where was her family? His throat restricted on that last question. Family was a touchy subject for him, so maybe it would be for her too. Maybe he would just have to wait till she brought up that topic of conversation?

"You look like your head is going to explode Natsu," Happy chirped from the bed next to the sleeping woman, "maybe you should stop trying to use your brain so hard before it catches fire."

"Haha," Natsu grumbled back, standing up from his crouching position at the side of her bed and pacing back and forth along the length of the room. He was restless, had way too much energy to remain cooped up but he didn't want to leave in case she woke up. He did not want her scared and confused, lost in his home. He wanted time to explain that since he found her, he was going to keep her and she would be a part of his family. That's what he'd done with Happy and he seemed to be happy here.

"Why isn't she waking up?" the blue feline asked quietly. Happy might have been surprised when Natsu first came back, a seemingly dead glowing woman in his arms but he quickly attached himself to her side. Possibly due to the warmth she admitted. It was too hot to be human, but it was not exactly dragon either. She was an enigma that he wanted to figure out.

"I don't know, buddy." Natsu admitted rather slowly. It was going on five days total since she landed on his front lawn essentially. Two days since the annoying ice prick visited. Natsu had been excited to share the news of the newest addition to his family but for some reason he couldn't push the words past his throat. He wanted to covet her for himself and that was a little alarming to him. It's never happened before. Natsu didn't like to admit it, but he had never been all too great with "change"; he was content with the direction his life had taken after his dad had died and he stumbled across Gramps. The guild offered a sort of refuge for the lost young dragon. It offered a family, something he so desperately missed. It also offered a way to release his grief and rage in a more constructive manner: by helping those that needed it. The money was just a bonus that he didn't really need but appreciated none the less.

"She keeps getting hotter, Natsu." There was serious concern from the kitten, whose paw was carefully placed on the girl's head, "she's kind of sweaty." Natsu just stared blankly at his Exceed friend, what exactly did Happy expect him to do about that? Sighing he made his way back over to the side of her bed, a bed that Erza demanded be brought to his cave; she refused to sleep in a hammock or on the floor when modern conveniences were a thing. He would have to remember to thank the scary woman the next time he saw her. Natsu crouched back down on the side and laid his head on the mattress a bit, lifting his hand to finger her hair. It was so bright, soft, and smelled divine, she looked ethereal. Like she wasn't entirely real. Sadly, he noticed that Happy was right, her body temperature was steadily rising, and she was starting to sweat around her forehead.

Natsu was about to suggest maybe wiping her down when she stirred. She made a soft mewling sound much like a kitten and her mouth, her pretty peach mouth, opened on a soft sigh. That was the most she had moved since she had been placed on this bed and Natsu couldn't help the excitement that shot through him. His head shot up from resting on the bed, causing the mattress to wiggle violently.

"Mmmm. Stop moving so much," the golden woman murmured quietly, rolling over onto her side, her front facing Natsu. Happy had to scurry out of the way so as not to be pinned by her new position.

"That's rude considering you've been asleep for five whole days!" Happy quipped back, turning his nose up at the rude comment. Natsu couldn't help but laugh at the feline's behavior. He mentally noted the pitch of her voice though. Maybe now she would finally wake up…

"hmm…so loud," the blond scrunched her eyes shut tighter, clearly attempting to stay asleep and then sighed in frustration she opened her eyes. They hazily moved over the side of the bed, meeting first Happy's blue fur and squinting in confusion. Her eyes continued the confused journey. Natsu held his breath as her eyes completely connected with his and widened in surprise. They were the warmest shade of brown he had ever seen, with drops of honey and copper scattered throughout. Before Natsu or Happy could even smile with relief that their patient was finally awake, she shot up and out the bed faster than Natsu expected. He watched with faint amusement as she tripped over the cover that twisted around her ankle and barely caught herself on the wall on the opposite side of the room. His eyes were riveted to the front of her baby pink dress, the deep lacy V had shifted in her sudden haste and she had accidently flashed him. It was only for a second, but the memory of her soft skin and pink nipples was burned into his memory, what he was going to do with that he wasn't sure nor did he really care. He was more disappointed when she straightened her gown and pressed herself further against the cave wall.

Lucy wasn't truly aware of the passage of time or the change in her sleeping location. She came to slowly from the buzzing of voices near her. The shaking bed was what finally allowed her to slip out of the all-consuming sleep that did not seem to want to let her go. Lucy came to in confusion, she didn't remember ever getting a cat, let alone one with strange blue fur. She was even more startled when her eyes connected with slanted eyes the color of onyx with the smallest flecks of green. She was stunned. Her body moved without thought.

So here she stood, with her back pressed up against a cold and rather clammy stone wall and wildly looking around for an escape. Lucy couldn't bring herself to meet the strange man's eyes for they had taken on a strange golden hue and were trained on her chest. She cleared her throat as she readjusted her night gown.

"W-where am I?" Lucy stuttered, instantly feeling a soft blush steal up her face. This situation wasn't something she could have prepared for. Was she supposed to be afraid because she was more confused than anything. Something about the boy…or maybe man in front of her didn't seem that threatening. That could also just be her brain making up excuses to keep her from flipping out.

"Please don't freak out," the young man started, "but you kind of landed on my front lawn." Lucy blinked once, then twice and then decided she was still dreaming. Landed in his front lawn? What sense did that make. "My names Natsu, and this is Happy!" The pink haired boy continued, oblivious to her mounting panic. Did she see horns? The wide, carefree smile he threw her way was what helped her relax. It was so youthful and open.

"My names Lucy," Lucy responded, realizing the blue feline must be Happy, "Where exactly is here?"

"Well you're in Fiore, of course," Natsu answered slowly. If she didn't know any better, he seemed concerned with her mental state. Honestly, she was a little concerned herself.

"Fiore," Lucy slowly sounded out, her eyebrows scrunching down confused. She had heard the name before but just couldn't put her finger on it. She sunk her teeth into her lower lip in concentration and tried hard to ignore the way Natsu's eyes followed every expression on her face. Right when she was just about to stop torturing her brain for an answer when it hit her. Fiore was on the surface. She had somehow fallen from the sky and landed on the surface. Lucy felt the color drain from her face and her legs give out; she found herself slowly sliding down the clammy stone wall until her butt hit the floor. "This isn't possible, I was…I shouldn't be here…"

Natsu watched as the color drained from Lucy's face and she sat down rather clumsy on the floor. He raised an eyebrow at her incoherent mumbling. He wasn't sure what he should do at this moment, he wasn't even sure where she was from.

"I don't think Lushie's brain works properly," Happy whispered conspiratorially into Natsu's ear while wearily eyeing the blond woman on his floor. He had to fight a smile the minute her eyes jumped to his before narrowing on the cat that had just spoken.

"It talks!" Lucy practically screamed before closing her eyes tight and taking a deep breath, "you have bigger issues to worry about than a talking cat Lucy," She continued to mumble to herself before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Natsu watched the entire interaction with rapt attention. He wasn't sure she was aware but in her desperation her temperature had spiked, and she had begun to glow a faint gold. A galaxy was dancing its way across her eyes.

"You okay there Luigi?" Natsu joked, hoping to help ease her fears with a deliberate mispronunciation of her name.

"LUCY, my name is LUCY!" the blond practically screamed before taking a few more calming breaths, "I'm not supposed to be on the surface…" If her behavior didn't send a shiver down his spine before it sure did now. What exactly did she mean by she's not supposed to be on the surface?

"What do you…?" Natsu couldn't even get the words out of his mouth before she continued on.

"I'm not supposed to be on the surface! I'm a star, I shouldn't have fallen! I wasn't supposed to fall yet." Lucy practically cried, true panic setting in and causing the woman to jump to her feet and practically crash into Natsu. "Please, PLEASE where did you grab me from?" Natsu realized that now wasn't the time to notice the way her body felt against his. She was curvy, soft, and smelled like warm vanilla, spiced honey and sweet summer strawberries. Things he wasn't fully able to pick out with her in such a deep state of sleep without feeling like a total creep; being honest now probably wasn't the time to be thinking about those things either considering how distraught she had seemed. So he did the only thing he could think of, he gently steered her back toward the bed and told her everything.

Natsu told lucy about the rumbling of the mountains that woke him up, the shooting stars that lit up the sky, the fireflies, and their excitement to bring him to her and the fact that she had been asleep for five days since he found her. He watched her despair rise until he thought she was going to combust. He decided a mild distraction while she processed everything would probably be for the best.

"So you're a star?" Natsu prompted gently, giving her the option of answering or not.

"Yes, a golden star, there aren't many of us. Just me and my mother in my family." Lucy answered quietly, her hand rising to the yellow gold locket and silver key around her neck that he had overlocked. The locket was dull in comparison to her hair.

"Only two? But the sky is full of stars!"

"There are silver stars and constellations ruled and governed by celestial beings. Plus, I did just say my mother and I are the only golden stars in MY family. There are more, there are just more silver stars and celestial beings." Lucy answered with a slight smile.

"Well what exactly can a star do? Can you make fire? Can you EAT fire?" Natsu was excited, maybe she was more like him then he thought. A star and a dragon being similar made him happy in a strange way. He'd make a note to explore that later.

"Well," Lucy started slowly, folding her legs underneath her on the bed and welcoming Happy on her lap, "I can't make fire but I can burn as hot as the hottest star! I can also speak with celestial spirits and take on their qualities." Natsu wasn't sure he completely understood what she meant but it sounded fascinating all on its own. Her magic must be powerful. "I wonder how I'm going to get home.."

"You are home!" Natsu was just as surprised as Lucy with the outburst. He hadn't meant to bring it up or say it like that. He never was known to be tactful. "What I mean is, I found you and you are gold…that means I get to keep you. You'll become apart of my family."

"You cannot just decide to keep someone," to his relief, Lucy laughed. Her laugh sounded like the tinkling of a handful of bells., "I have a home, friends…. family…" Her laugh died at the mention of her family and she stared off somewhere behind him with a sad and vacant expression, "Family that's probably worried."

"Well, you can just stay here until you figure out how to go home then," Natsu blurted out in a panic. He didn't genuinely want her to leave, he had found her, and she fit in so beautifully with his hoard. She out shown all his pieces and that was no small feat. He just didn't like to see her sad, he thought she looked better smiling and laughing like she had been earlier. Lucy's eyes swung back to his, startled, before she smiled softly.

"I wouldn't want to impose; I don't really know you…but I also have no one around that I could stay with."

"Then it's decided," Happy chirped up excitedly, small fluffy white wings appearing on his back to bring him up to Lucy's eye level, "Lushie will stay here!"

After continued conversation, both the star and the dragon becoming quick and fast friends, Lucy had expressed an interest in wanting a bath. She had complained about feeling sticky after sleeping for so long. So Natsu gave her a tour of his cave, her new (temporary) home, on the way to the underground springs he had constructed himself. The level that housed his hoard seemed to catch her attention the most. She skimmed her hands along the gold coins, gently petted the expensive rugs and even adoringly stroked the spines of the few books he had collected. She was curious about his collection and that made his chest puff up with pride; he was happy that she was interested and found the things he collected beautiful for she was apart of it, whether she knew it or not.

"So why do dragons like gold so much?" Lucy finally asked, Natsu could tell she was curious but was attempting to be polite. Why be so polite with someone you plan to live with?

"My father once told me that the love of gold was distinctly a fire dragon thing," Natsu begin, "that we coveted it because it shinned and flashed like fire and because it can withstand a high amount of heat and not change. Which of course is important for a fire dragon who craves heat."

"Ah I see, well your hoard is beautiful." Lucy murmured as she gently sat down a fist sized ruby she was inspecting. Her praise made him want to purr so he opted for a smile. He ushered them deeper into his cave system and further down into the mountain. He expertly plucked towels and soap that he and Happy would find after a stay with Erza and just held on to. It was all a moot point, she always brought new supplies with her, afraid that Natsu would have thrown it away or not even noticed it was there to begin with. He always moved what he found into his hoard, his friends never personally venturing past his living quarters near the entrance.

The underground hot springs was the last place that Natsu and his father had worked on building. His father had told him it would one day serve a purpose and that not everyone wanted to bathe out in the open like he did. Especially women. Natsu wasn't exactly sure what his dad was getting at then, but he had shrugged it off and had been content to have another project to work on with his father. Now he was glad, he wasn't certain he could handle taking Lucy to bathe out in the open, where anyone could come across her. His possessive thoughts were quickly cut off by Lucy's excited giggle. He quickly moved out of her way as she rushed forward and immediately dipped her toes in the closest pool.

"Oh Natsu, this place is beautiful!" Lucy exclaimed, excitedly twirling around to face him again with a wide smile on her face, "it feels like it's been forever since I've had a decent bath!"

"I would have never thought of a bathroom as beautiful before, weirdo." Natsu teased as he motioned around the room, "well you can use it whenever you want, since this is your home too."

"Great now leave so I can take a bath," Lucy huffed, obviously offended by the weirdo comment.

"Aw but Luce, I thought we were gunna bathe together," Natsu whined, trying hard not to smile at the blush that was steadily crawling up her face. Before she could so much as scream, he turned on his heel and walked back towards the way they came. He wasn't going to tell her, but he didn't plan on letting her out of his sight, especially since they were practically strangers and she was his responsibility now. The least he could do was at least not peep on her while she bathed, or at least that had been the goal. Natsu couldn't help but let his thoughts wonder, thinking about what they should possibly eat after this.

"Ah!" Lucy's exclamation, shocked him out of his thoughts and, thinking that she had hurt herself, he whirled around back towards the entrance. Natsu had planned to just see what was wrong but was frozen in place by all her exposed skin. He watched with fascinated attention as she carefully lowered first one leg, then the other into the pool closest to her, gracefully lowering herself slowly into the water. His eyes bounced from the top of her pretty golden head to her smooth, unblemished shoulders, his eyes picking up her breasts hidden behind her hair; Her pretty pink nipples practically begged for his attention. It was a hard battle to force his eyes further, tracing the flat plane of her stomach to the top of her- He jerked, closing his eyes and turning away from Lucy before she saw him staring.

"ah, fuck." He grumbled, his face an uncomfortable shade of red.

Authors Note:

This is the last "drabble" that will follow the time so specifically. The rest from this point on will either be further in the future or an offshoot of this. Don't expect them to line up so well again. I'm even more excited for the next chapter...it isn't Nalu related (even though they are my literal FAVORITE pairing to write) but they do make an appearance.

Updates at this point will probably be spaced out further. I am aiming for twice a week so we shall see. These first three have just been sitting in my drafts for a while and needed little tweaking!

** Edit: I lied, I'm going to go back to using this as a drabble only. This story idea was cute and these interconnected stories for this AU (which I'm going to simply dub my Fantast AU) were a lot of fun but I think I'm going to leave it at these. I'm not sure I like it enough to turn it into a full blown story but do not despair, I have other fantasy related drabbles that will pop up. maybe one of them will turn into a full blown story. who knows. back to the drawing board.